Political Cartoons: Introduction to Symbols

Readers decode and deconstruct political cartoons to heighten critical thinking, extra-textual literacy, and making meaning from symbolism and metaphor. A compatible activity to use in English class when your 8th or 11th graders are...

Political cartoons are very clever, and often have deep meanings. This worksheet has learners consider a political cartoon. Next, they answer four questions regarding the cartoon. A very clever and effective teaching resource.

What is happening to our newspapers? In the context of the current trends of media and the ever-declining print news industry, this handout includes two political cartoons for pupils to analyze, both created by artists working for...

What advantages do political cartoons have over written editorials? Scholars discuss the topic by exploring editorial cartoons. Working in small groups, pupils analyze an Uncle Sam cartoon and complete a worksheet. As a fun extension,...

In this current events activity, students analyze a political cartoon about "Fuseli's Nightmare" and respond to 3 talking point questions.

Though slightly dated (around the 2008 Presidential election), the information and discussion points in this presentation about political humor are solid. Use the slides in your language arts class in a lecture about semantics, or in a...

Students select a cartoon to present to the class. They study it for a few minutes, write a list of questions about the cartoon. Students answer each others' questions and change the questions to declarative statements which are used as...

Students explore political cartoons.  In this government current events activity, students analyze the visual language and symbolism present in five different political cartoons.  Students discuss the event or issue that...

High schoolers study a current political cartoon to introduce the ideas of symbolism, humor, exaggeration, and caricature in editorial cartoons. They study cartoons from the past to gain an understanding of the culture of 1912.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but political art may be worth even more! After examining examples of political cartoons, murals, and other forms of public art, class members create their own pieces to reflect their ideals and...